Stories from the Job Site

John Deere modified 850D

Creative thinking has driven the construction division of Blue Goose Growers to success. Their ability to develop out-of-the-box solutions for construction problems started in the south Florida citrus industry. "In that business, irrigating and removing storm water are really important," says John Allen, Blue Goose project manager. "Other Growers then asked us to do this kind of work for them." General Manager Larry Tarr said, "In the early 2000's we began working on commercial construction projects, applying the efficiencies and quality controls we learned from doing our own construction projects.

Specialization
Construction and maintenance of reservoirs, dams, dikes, and drainage ditches makes having the right equipment for the job very important. And "specialized" took on new meaning when Blue Goose was asked to participate in a revetment project for the cooling canal of the nuclear power plant in Jensen Beach, Florida. The prime contractor, Underwater Engineering Services, Inc., asked several subcontractors, including Blue Goose, to look at how the work could be done to the exacting specifications that the job required, in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Larry Tarr, Blue Goose construction manager says, "The GPS systems were specifically designed for this project and were the only way we could do the job efficiently and meet the customer's specifications."

Larry Tarr and John Allan brainstormed the challenge and became convinced that customized, long-reach hydraulic excavators were the answer. After much study, their solution included a John Deere 850D LC Excavator with 95 feet of reach, a 450D LC Excavator with 70 feet of reach, two John Deere 240D LC Excavators with 60 feet of reach, a 650J LP Dozer, a 644J Loader, three tracked end dump trucks, among other equipment already owned by the company.

Animation
In order to show the prime and his customer how this equipment combination would work, Blue Goose called upon John Allan, Jr., fresh out of college with a graphics degree, to create computer animation of how the machines would work together. "I knew we had a great concept," says Allen, Sr. "The animation convinced us, and everyone else involved, that this was the way to go." General manager Larry Tarr said "Customers recognize the necessity of specialized equipment in these applications. We have to sell them on our ideas to give them confidence it will work. The graphics and animation provide a visualization to help us accomplish this."

John Deere modified D-Series Excavators

Then came the job of getting the equipment built. Blue Goose looked at several major excavator companies and settled on John Deere. Their reasons? "We performed a comprehensive cost of ownership and operational cost evaluation and compared it to four other manufacturers; John Deere gave us the value we were looking for Tarr said. Project manager John Allen added "John Deere also gave us a stronger frame and better track system and they had a good working relationship with Jewell Manufacturing, who provided the booms and dippersticks.

"Deere seemed to be more open-minded than the other manufacturers," says Blue Goose. "They took the time to understand our job and what we expected the machines to do, and then worked with us to get them designed and built." Allen said it was teamwork all the way through the process, with the Deere dealer, Nortrax Equipment, John Deere, Jewell, and Blue Goose working together.

Blue Goose chose Jewell to provide the digging apparatus because of their experience in the logging and demolition business. They theorized that if Jewell could make booms and dippersticks that could stand up to these very harsh job environments, then they could successfully design and build the parts the John Deere excavators required for this job.

Pleased as punch
Now that the equipment has been on the job for several months, how is Allen's theory working out? "We couldn't be happier," he says. "The 850D LC is a horse. Its hydraulics are smooth, letting us meet the precise tolerances of the job." Allen also points to the 850D LC's undercarriage, with nearly 17 feet of track on the ground, remaining stable with more than 50,000 pounds of counterweight installed.

The smooth hydraulics of the two 240D LCs make them excellent for working on the barges. Though visibility from the machines is excellent, the operators rely on GPS units to help them monitor their loads once they are in the water.

"The machines are also very reliable," says Allen. Though dealer support is one of the chief reasons Blue Goose chose John Deere, they haven't had to call on service and product support yet. Allen, however, did have great things to say about Deere's support as the machines were being configured and delivered. "They were an important part of the team. Their salesman spent many hours working with us and John Deere."

The Blue Goose team points out that the specialized equipment their group assembled maximized efficiency and made it difficult for competitors to match the quality of their work, the speed with which they could do it, and their prices.

Later
Given the specialized nature of the John Deere excavators, what does Blue Goose see as the machines' future? "We'll lease them to other contractors across the country," says Larry Tarr, the company's general manager. "An operator and GPS computer-aided grade system will be included. By offering our specialized equipment and services to other contractors and potential clients around the country, it provides an opportunity for them bid on jobs they wouldn't normally qualify for and accomplish work that wouldn't have been possible with conventional machines." With the abundance of construction work available in the state of Florida, these excavators might just stay in state. Wherever they work, you can be assured they will draw attention as their booms break the skyline of the countryside. See them in action at www.JohnDeere.com/ExcavatorTestimonials.

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